Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. Astor, Henry, 1754-1833
2. Ship-builders' Association of New York New York, N.Y.

Description

1. 1.87 linear feet (6 boxes, 4 oversize folders)

Summary

1. William B. Astor (William Backhouse Astor, 1792-1875) was the son of German-born fur-trader, financier, and real estate investor John Jacob Astor (1763-1848). The William B. Astor papers, 1826-1931 (bulk 1826-1890), contain legal, financial, and property records relating to Astor's personal estate and its distribution after his death, as well as four photographic images of Astor family members and properties. Also present are business papers held by his uncle Henry Astor (1754-1833) as principal investor and later treasurer of the New York Association, which created and owned the New York Theatre (later the Bowery Theatre) in New York City; William B. Astor inherited Henry Astor's assets in the venture when the latter died in 1833. The business papers provide significant details on the construction and decoration of the first iteration of the New York Theatre, its reconstruction after a fire in 1828, properties used to stage productions, and its financial management. The collection also contains some loose letters and documents.

Subject

1. Astor family.
2. Bowery Theatre (New York, N.Y.)
3. Artisans -- New York (State) -- New York.
4. Capitalists and financiers -- New York (State) -- New York.
5. Merchants -- New York (State) -- New York.
6. Real property -- New York (State) -- New York.
7. Theater management -- New York (State) -- New York.
8. Theaters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Design and construction.
9. Theaters -- Stage-setting and scenery -- New York (State) -- New York.

Genre/Form

1. Accounts.
2. Correspondence.
3. Estate administration records.
4. Financial records.
5. Indentures.
6. Legal documents.
7. Negatives (photographs)
8. Property records.
9. insurance policies.

Call number

1. MssCol 29973

Language

1. English

Access (note)

1. Photographic negatives are unavailable pending digitization.

Source (note)

1. Donation; 2015.

Location of other archival materials (note)

1. New York Association, N.Y. [Records.]; Harvard Theatre Collection (GEN TS 1706.333 F); Houghton Library, Harvard University.

Processing action (note)

1. Processing Information: The papers were received in a metal box, arranged in contemporary general groupings of folded, bundled documents.

Author

1. Astor, William B. (William Backhouse), 1792-1875, creator.

Type of content

1. text
2. still image

Type of medium

1. unmediated

Type of carrier

1. sheet

Connect to:

1. Finding aid